Run
by StarksWinter
Summary: Set twenty-two years after the events of the Deathly Hallows, a new darkness is rising. One has suffered an unimaginable loss, but why? Though this story does focus on a plot separate from Scorpius and Albus, their relationship will develop as the story goes forward, including their part in it.. Rated M for violence, mature content, and sexuality in later chapters. Slash - ASP/SM
1. Somewhere a Clock is Ticking

Run – A Harry Potter Fan Fiction featuring Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy

 **Chapter One – Somewhere A Clock is Ticking**

 _"They betrayed all that we once stood for." A dark figure rasped. The figure stood at the front of a gathering of like figures, all cloaked in black, "Those who have forsaken our Lord will suffer for their betrayal, just as these traitors have." The figure raised its left hand and pointed a wand into the sky, "MORSMORDRE!" the figure screamed, and out from the tip of the wand erupted a mass of green, it pierced the night sky - a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth, the Dark Mark. Laughter echoed across the gathering, a maniacal, deadly laughter. After a few minutes, the laughter subsided and the figures began to disapparate. The head figure pulled its robe to the side to reveal four bodies, all with sleek blond hair, two women, and two men. The figure looked down, spit upon the bodies, and disapparated. As the figures all disappeared, the bodies lay, motionless at the foot of a stately manor house, beneath the moon._

In the darkness, Albus Potter could just make out the steady breathing of his fellow fourth-year classmates; they were all fast asleep. Slowly, Albus lifted himself from his four-poster bed, pulled back the curtains, and tiptoed across the dormitory floor. As he slowly made his way down out to the Slytherin common room, Albus noticed a puff of blond hair bobbing behind a chair facing the fireplace.

 _"Malfoy!"_ almost escaped his lips as a shout, surprised that anyone else was up at this hour, Albus quickly turned around, but before he could, Scorpius Malfoy's voice came from behind the chair,

"Whoever you are, you do not have to pretend as if you are not there. I just couldn't sleep." Before he could say anything, Albus realized he must have dozed off at some point, he had not realized Scorpius was missing from his dormitory, which could only mean he had snuck down to the common room earlier. But why was Malfoy down here? This was not how his plan was supposed to work out.

"Potter!" came Malfoy's voice, in the time Albus had taken to collect his thoughts, Scorpius Malfoy had risen from his chair and was now facing Albus. "Why are you down here at this hour?"

"The same could be asked of you, Malfoy." Albus shot back. Malfoy stood across the room, firelight glinting off of his pale, pointed face. His blond hair not its usual perfectly styled-self was instead askew as if he had been asleep already but was woken up. His face looked sad, his grey eyes looked as if they were holding something back.

"I just couldn't sleep, bad dream." Malfoy's answer came, rather surprisingly to Albus. They hadn't spoken too often, they were civil to each other, but they had never been much more than passing conversation between the two of them, but a close friendship had never developed. But something was off right now, Albus could tell, and though he did not quite understand why, he decided to press on with the conversation.

"Bad dreams?" Albus asked, with a hint of sympathy.

"Yes, I'd rather not discuss it, honestly." Malfoy responded.

"Oh, ok." Albus answered back, awkwardly, "Well if you're sure-."

"I'm sure." Malfoy responded, quickly, "just go on down to the kitchens, like you were planning on."

"How did you know I was planning on going down to the kitchens?" Albus asked.

"Potter, I've been sharing a dormitory with you for going on four years, I think I know your routine by now."

"Oh…right, well if you're sure you will be alright, I'll go then." Albus awkwardly responded. As if to respond for him, his stomach chose that moment to groan. "Sorry…" Albus said quickly.

"It's alright, just go." Scorpius responded, his voice sounding broken. Albus nodded his head and quickly walked towards the common room exit, noticing that Malfoy had a look of utter pain on his face, but no tears. Albus looked away, confused, and unsure what to do, other than listen to his classmate, and leave him be. Albus exited the common room, and began his walk to the kitchen, still curious as to why Scorpius Malfoy was behaving so oddly, the normally composed and proper Malfoy was now near tears, and Albus was unsure why.

When he heard Potter leave, Scorpius breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled out the picture of his father, Draco, and his mother, Astoria, he looked longingly down at the picture cursing the world, afraid, alone, and angry. Scorpius had been asleep, when his head of house, Professor Slughorn, had interrupted his dreams and insisted Scorpius follow him down to his office. Scorpius had followed Slughorn, sensing something was wrong. As he walked into the Professor's office, he could see the headmistress, Professor McGonagall, and Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister for Magic gathered around a table. Scorpius knew, immediately, that something terrible had happened, and was only confirmed when, the Minister told him. The elder Malfoys, Draco, Astoria, and his grandparent's Narcissa and Lucius had all been found, murdered at Malfoy Manor. The shock, at the time prevented him from reacting. Professor McGonagall reached out to him, insisting that everything would be alright, and that he would continue to have a place at the school and would be kept safe, and all necessary arrangements would be made for his parents and grandparents. The Minister also insisted that the Aurors would begin investigating immediately. The last thing they told him was about the mark, the Dark Mark, Voldemort's mark had been found above Malfoy Manor. The followers of Voldemort, who himself had been defeated by Harry Potter roughly twenty-two years ago, had returned.

All of the assurances of the Minister and Professor McGonagall could not fill the hole that had begun to form in his chest, a feeling that nothing would ever be right again. Somehow, Scorpius had made it back to the common room, had lit a fire, and collapsed in the chair, exhausted from the emotional news, and the overwhelming urge to end it all right then. Scorpius however, could not cry. He did have a picture of he and his parents in his robes, he pulled it out and began to stare at it. It was then that Albus Potter had interrupted, he quickly composed himself, not wanting to talk about it, not wanting to make it real.

Suddenly, the common room door swung open again, and Albus Potter had returned, along with a bit of treacle tart and a small glass of pumpkin juice.

"You looked like you could use something," Albus answered the inquisitive look Scorpius was giving him.

"It's alright, I'm not hungry, I'm just going to go to sleep now." And with that, Scorpius left the chair and rushed up to the dormitory.

Albus stood there, with the treacle tart and pumpkin juice, unsure as to what had just happened. Clearly something was bothering Malfoy, but he didn't know what. Albus moved over to the table near the chair and to sit the snack and drink on the table, when he glanced down he could see the slightest movement. Albus reached down, his fingers curled around something flat, a photograph. Albus looked at it, and could see the smiling face of an older man with pointed features and slick blond hair, undoubtedly Scorpius' father, Draco. As well as a quite beautiful woman, and was undoubtedly a younger Scorpius, their beaming eyes showed they were quite a happy family. Little Scorpius kept reaching up tug on his mother's long, straight hair. Albus had just seen his parents at Platform 9 ¾ when the students boarded the Hogwarts Express to start their new term and could remember Scorpius hugging his parents good bye.

"May I have that back please?" the voice of Scorpius Malfoy came up from behind him." Albus nearly dropped the image, somehow ashamed that he had been looking at what was clearly something very special.

"O-of course." Albus stammered, "I'm sorry, it was lying on the floor and I just picked it up. This is you and your parents, yeah?"

"Yes, when I was much younger." Draco replied.

"You and your father look so much alike." Albus said the first thing that came to mind.

"We _looked_ so much alike…" Scorpius responded, holding out his hand. Albus handed the photo to Malfoy and caught his eyes, the tears still hadn't left, and then it hit him, _looked_ , something had happened to Malfoy's parents.

"Scorpius, what happened?" Albus asked, immediately, using Malfoy's first name seemed foreign, but this instance called for it, he believed.

"They were murdered." Scorpius' voice cracked, and he nearly fell down as he reached for the photograph. Albus rushed forwards and caught Scorpius before he fell. Awkwardly, Albus moved his arm around Scorpius as all of the pent up emotion came pouring out. Scorpius sobs were muffled into Albus' shoulder and all Albus could do was take it, this situation was one he'd never been in, and he was unsure what to say, but he felt, somehow, that just being the literal shoulder to cry on may be the best thing he could be at this very moment.

Scorpius couldn't contain it any longer, the sobs, the emotion, everything came pouring out of him and onto Albus Potter, the most unlikely candidate to be his rock at this very moment in time. But somehow, Potter's arm felt comforting, and that was all he needed right now. Scorpius noticed that Albus was very quiet, and he was thankful, after the Professor and the Minister's endless apologies and sympathies, a silent shoulder was much needed. As he sat there, crying into Albus Potter's shoulder, he realized that his parents and grandparents were gone, the enormous weight finally settled and he realized now that he would be on his own, and that scared him more than anything. After a few minutes, his sobbing started to subside, the tears came less quickly, and his runny nose began to stuff up. He pulled himself away from Albus, and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry..I -."

"Don't apologize, I can't imagine what you must be feeling right now. I'm glad I was here; nobody should have to go through something like this alone." Albus said.

The Ministry of Magic was in an uproar, Harry Potter, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, has been called in to look into the incident at Malfoy Manor. Given the circumstances, the fact that an entire family had been murdered, and now a son was left alone, Harry felt a special connection to this case, not only because of the familiarity of the subject matter, but also because he had worked so hard to insure Draco Malfoy and his family would be brought back into the fold of the magical world, not living as pariahs. Given that Draco Malfoy and his family were all very astute, knowledgably and powerful wizards and witches, the idea that all of them could have been overcome was a terrifying thought. Furthermore, the prescense of the Dark Mark indicated that this was most likely perpetrated by followers of Voldemort. But why had they chosen now to show their faces? Harry's scar had not hurt in 22 years, it hadn't started, so either these were imitators, or something more sinister was at work here.

"Harry!" Hermione's familiar voice came from his office door, "thank Merlin you're here! This is a nightmare."

"Yes, Hermione, I know. Has Scorpius, been informed?"

"Yes, Kingsley himself went to Hogwarts." She answered.

"Do we know how Scorpius is doing?" Harry asked.

"Professor McGonagall sent me an owl, to let me know that he had returned to his dormitory, but other than that, we have not heard anything else." Hermione responded.

"Harry, the mark, HIS mark was there. What could this mean?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know, but we need to know. We need to know why an entire family was killed and why the mark was there." Harry said, in a determined voice.

"Well, during Voldemort's time, the Malfoys were his supporters, and now they have publicly denounced him. The Malfoys, especially Draco and Astoria began working with assisting building muggle relations with the Ministry. Some would call them traitors for that. It's possible that some dark remnants could have wanted some kind of twisted revenge." Hermione answered. She was always thinking, that was something Harry desperately appreciated about Hermione. He thought on this for a minute or two before answering her.

"Hermione, you may be onto something. We will need to look into every angle we can. I need to get with the aurors that have been to Malfoy Manor." Harry answered.

"Harry, we will figure out who did this, they will be brought to justice." Hermione must have been able to connect the dots of Harry's feelings, because that was exactly what he needed to hear at the moment.

"Thanks Hermione, we will also need to keep a lookout for any additional, strange activity. Something bigger may be happening, and we need to be prepared." Harry stated. Hermione nodded.


	2. Shut Your Eyes

Run – A Harry Potter Fan Fiction Featuring Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy

 **Chapter Two - Shut Your Eyes**

 _"Daddy! Look what I can do!" a small voice called. A small blond boy was running towards an older blond man with a pointed face and grey eyes. The blond man looked at his son with pride and love in his eyes. The small boy was running towards him, hand aloft with a butterfly floating just over his hand, but never leaving. The blond man smiled and said, "Scorpius, the butterfly is beautiful, but don't you think it wants to be free?"_

 _"Why?" little Scorpius asked._

 _"Everyone and everything wants to be free, son. I was once trapped and when I was finally freed, I was able to build a brand new life, a better life. Everyone wants the freedom to build their own lives. Perhaps the butterfly has a family that it wants to return to."_

 _"Oh." Scorpius sighed, "well, I guess I can let it go." Scorpius bent his head towards his hand and whispered to the butterfly, after a second the butterfly flew off towards the sky._

 _"I think it will be able to go back to its family now," the man said. Draco Malfoy looked down at his son, smiling as his son looked back into his eyes._

Scorpius awoke to darkness, tears in his eyes. After his encounter with Albus Potter, Scorpius had felt mentally and physically exhausted and overwhelmed. Potter had helped him make it up to the dormitory where Scorpius nodded off to sleep. Now, after his dream, Scorpius was afraid to fall back asleep, afraid he would dream more of the father who was now gone.

Scorpius took a second to listen to steady breathing around him, realizing it was still the middle of the night, and as far as he could tell, his dorm-mates were all fast asleep, he laid his head back down, willing himself back to sleep.

Unknown to Scorpius, Albus Potter had woken up to the sound of sobs, realizing it was Scorpius, he silently wished there was something more he could do to help him. Albus decided he would send an owl to his father in the morning, before classes began, to try to figure out what had happened and what they could do to help.

The morning sun broke over the horizon as Harry Potter approached a fine manor house. As he walked down the pebble pathway from the front gate towards the front doors, the faint bubbling of a fountain pierced the perfectly manicured shrubbery on either side of the long pathway. At the end of the pathway, Malfoy Manor stood, elegant, vast, and beautiful in the morning sun. The beautiful morning held no hint of the unfortunate events that had occurred the previous evening. The Malfoys bodies had been removed from the front of the house and brought inside, and the Dark Mark had been removed by the advance team of Aurors that had arrived during the night.

"Mr. Potter, good morning." A tall, severe looking woman's voice pierced the tranquility of the morning.

"Ah, Lucella, it is good to see you, though given the circumstances, I do not believe it is a good morning." Harry quipped as he stepped over the threshold and into the manor house.

Once inside, Harry took in the scene in front of him. A long, marble floor gave way to a curved staircase at the end of the hall going to the upper areas of the house, in an arched doorway to his right, a group of aurors awaited him.

"Harry, you're here," the unmistakable, slow and deep voice of the Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, greeted Harry as he entered what would appear to be a small parlor off the main hallway. Harry nodded to the Minister and took in the scene before him. The bodies of the four Malfoys were in front of him: Lucius and Narcissa, as well as Draco and his wife, Astoria. Harry shook his head and felt a pang of anger mixed with sadness.

"They had come so far," Harry started, "someone did not like what they were doing and they all suffered. This will not do well for other families that have come forward to denounce Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Do we have any information on who this could have been?"

"We have very little, I'm afraid. They were all killed using the Killing Curse, that much is obvious. Though their initial positions indicate that they may have been subjected to the Cruciatus Curse." An older voice responded from one of the aurors that were assembled in the room.

"The Cruciatus Curse, why?" Harry asked no one in particular. The torture curse, the Cruciatus curse was used as a means of magical torture, causing great pain as Harry could recall, as fresh as if it was yesterday. He had once been subjected to the pains of the Cruciatus Curse by Voldemort himself during his fourth year in Hogwarts. The memory of the pain sent a shiver down his spine. "Any thoughts on why our culprits may have tortured them?"

"Each theory is as unlikely as the next. We've done a thorough search of the house and all of the notorious hiding places Lucius once kept, we've come up with nothing that would have been worth doing this to them. It is possible they were simply used as an example." The same older voice responded yet again. Harry had no response to this, but to yet again be overwhelmed with a feeling of sadness and anger. All of the effort he had made with Draco Malfoy to build better relationships with the wizarding community that had left Voldemort's side after his defeat was now in jeopardy, and now Scorpius, Draco's son could be in danger, as he was the last surviving Malfoy, and Draco's pride and joy.

"We need to insure Scorpius Malfoy's safety, his parents' and grandparents' murders leave him the sole survivor of the Malfoy family, and he will undoubtedly be a target. He's safe at Hogwarts for now, but arrangements will need to be made for him over the holidays and following the end of the spring term for the summer."

"Harry, I do believe that this is the work of a group of people dedicated to hurting your work. Your work with the survivors of the Death Eaters is extremely important to the stability of the Wizarding World. I will insure the full resources of the Ministry are at your disposal to get to the bottom of this." Kingsley looked at Harry and tipped his head, "I will need to get back to the Ministry, I suggest you visit Hogwarts and see how Scorpius is holding up, I was only there for a short time, and his shock was preventing him from grieving."

"Yes, Minister, I will go to Hogwarts, it will be good to see my children as well." Harry answered. "Aurors, let's get these bodies transported to the Ministry and have them all thoroughly examined for anything we may have missed here in the field. I will meet you all after I have finished at Hogwarts."

"Yes, sir." The Aurors responded.

"You mustn't over exaggerate your wand movements when performing the disarming spell. Over brandishing could cause your opponent's wand to fly across the room and explode the wall, or any other number of equally devastating effects. The purpose of the disarming spell is to be able to disarm your opponent and take control of their wand. A quick flick of the wrist is all that is n-"

"Excuse me, Professor," a small voice came from the door to at the back of the classroom, "I have a request that Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy are to be seen by the Headmistress in her office."

"Very well, Potter, Malfoy, off you go." The professor stated.

Albus and Scorpius stood up and gathered their belongings. As they left the classroom through the door at the rear, Albus looked at Scorpius and could see that his eyes were dry, but he still carried a great weight.

"Scorpius," Albus began, "I am really sorry, I won't pretend to know how you're feeling, but I just want you to know that if you need anything I am here."

Scorpius hesitated for a moment before saying, "I appreciate it, Potter."

"Scorpius, you can call me Albus."

"Oh, ok Albus." Scorpius half-heartedly smiled.

As they walked the corridors of Hogwarts, they were silent for a time until they came to the Griffin at the base of the Headmistresses' office. The griffin began rotating before any password could be spoken, to their surprise. After a minute or two, the ascending spiral staircase stopped, and began to descend. When the Griffin reached ground level once more, Harry Potter and Professor McGonagall stepped in front of the boys.

The face on Albus' father was grim, but he smiled and greeted them.

"Hello Albus, Scorpius – he nodded towards Scorpius, whom politely said, "Hello" back – I know it's been a rough night for you Scorpius, but I would like to speak with you a little more as well as my son here, would that be alright?"

Scorpius looked at Albus and then nodded, "Yes, Mr. Potter, that will be alright."

"Good, we are going to go out on the grounds, Professor McGonagall here has been kind enough to excuse you both from your class for the rest of this period. So let's get going."

Together, they walked down the hallway to the Entrance Hall and then onwards out the front doors and onto the sunlit grounds.


	3. It's Beginning to Get to Me

**Run** **– A Harry Potter Fan-Fiction featuring Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy**

 **Chapter Three - It's Beginning to Get to Me**

"Dad, I actually sent you an owl this morning." Albus said as they walked down the steps from the front doors of Hogwarts. The sun was glinting overhead, and the grounds were peaceful, a seeming mockery of the current circumstances.

"It will probably be waiting for me when I return to the Ministry, I assume it was because of Scorpius?" Harry responded.

"Yes, actually." he looked at Scorpius, Albus hadn't told Scorpius that he'd sent his father a letter, but Scorpius seemed to be taken in by his surroundings and didn't seem to be hearing the conversation.

"Scorpius, how are you holding up?" Harry asked, more loudly. Scorpius snapped out of his reverie and looked at the older Potter walking in front of him.

"I'm not sure, I feel broken-" Scorpius hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I just keep moving, because I know what my parents would expect." For all their changes, the Malfoys were still the Malfoys, proud, disciplined, and most importantly knew not to make fools of themselves.

"Scorpius, grieving is only natural, especially when one suffers something as immense of you have." Harry stopped near the lake, sun glinting off the gentle, rolling waters, and turned around to face the boys. "I grew up, never knowing my parents. Voldemort killed them when I was still a baby. I have grieved for them my entire life, even after I finally was able to make peace with their deaths during the battle where we finally defeated Voldemort. I still miss them; I still grieve for them. To lose parents after having the opportunity to know them, I can't even begin to imagine how that feels. But I promise you, Scorpius, we will figure out who did this and why. Their deaths will not have been in vain. But don't be afraid to grieve, it doesn't make you weak, it allows you to make peace."

Scorpius nodded at Harry, "I understand, Mr. Potter. I do hope whoever did this is found."

"Of course, in the meantime, we must make sure you're safe. I don't want to alarm you, but whoever did this will undoubtedly know that your parents had a son. You are safest here at Hogwarts, I have already discussed additional security with Professor McGonagall, but please be aware, and stay safe." Harry's words at the end were almost pleading. Albus noted a look of desperation in his father's eyes.

"Don't worry Dad, I'll keep an eye out too. Scorpius is my friend, and I won't let anything happen to him." Albus smiled at Scorpius, who smiled back at him.

"Albus, I appreciate that. Thank you." Scorpius said.

Harry noted his son's words, for all the tension that had existed between his relationship with Draco Malfoy, especially in their school days, it was good to know there was hope that a Malfoy and a Potter could be friends.

"Scorpius, we will need to discuss what you will be doing during the holidays. Ideally we may see if you can stay here, it will be the safest option for you, but we will discuss any other options as we get closer to that time." Harry stated.

"I understand." Scorpius replied.

"Alright boys, I think it's time we head back to the castle, your next class will begin soon, and Professor McGonagall only dismissed you for this class, I wouldn't put it past her to try to cane me for keeping you too much longer." Harry chuckled as he walked the boys back up towards the castle steps. The tall turrets and towers of the castle stood in defiance of all the darkness that Harry feared was building in the world.

 _"The Malfoy's had a son named Scorpius." A voice said._

 _"I know his name, and he's beyond our reach at Hogwarts, unless our friend here pulls through." A rasping voice uttered._

 _A third voice responded, "I have not received any news, however I do believe the opportunity will come to fruition, we need only patience."_

 _The rasping voice responded, "Ah yes, patience. I am short on patience, and if your…pet…fails us, I will hold you responsible." The figure pulled out his wand and pointed it at the third figure, "CRUCIO!"_

 _A shriek erupted from the third's mouth, a wordless scream of utter pain and then it stopped as quickly as it started._

 _"If you fail me, I will not stop next time."_

 _The figure with the raspy voice stepped over the tortured man, "Now, I have other business to attend to."_

Albus and Scorpius parted ways with Harry's father at the entrance hall stairs. Mr. Potter had mentioned seeing his other children, James and Lily, and Scorpius and Albus both had potions class to get to. So while Mr. Potter went up the stairs, Albus and Scorpius took the stairs down towards the dungeons and onwards to the Potions classroom.

"Scorpius, I hope my dad didn't upset you." Albus began.

"No, of course not. Actually he helped. As much as my parents had changed, from what I gather they were like before I was born, they were still very…particular…about how a Malfoy should behave. Even in the midst of grief, a Malfoy should be poised. That's why my breakdown in front of you was…embarrassing. But your father made me feel like I shouldn't be embarrassed, that it was ok to feel the way I feel and I needed that, I needed to know that its ok to feel angry, to feel grief, and to let it out." Scorpius had to assure Albus that his father's words were not wasted, nor were they unappreciated.

"Don't feel embarrassed, Scorpius. I meant what I said, I'm here for you, I want to be your friend, and I will do everything I can to make sure that you stay safe." Albus smiled at him again, this time Scorpius noticed the flash in his eyes, a flash of caring? He had long hoped he would find a good friend, he had other friends of course, Madera Zabini and Gerad Knight, but they were Slytherin through and through, they may express their sympathies, but if he had been blubbering all over them like he had Albus, he knew they would feel embarrassed themselves, that and they were not the first people he saw after having received the news. Albus was different, though a Slytherin, he possessed a warmth many of them lacked, having spoken with his father, he could see where he had gotten it from. He remembered back to this very first day of school, four years ago, when the sorting hat had placed Albus Severus Potter into Slytherin, the entire Great Hall had gone into shock. But Albus seemed to have adjusted fine, albeit the teasing he received from his older brother James and his sister, Lily.

"Hey, Scorpius!" Scorpius realized Albus was trying to get his attention, and snapped back to reality.

"Sorry about that, oh we are here." He apologized to Albus and nodded towards the door when he realized they were now in front of the potions classroom.

"That's what I was trying to tell you." Albus chuckled, "I wanted to make sure you didn't run into the door."

Albus reached for the door and pulled it open, "after you."

Scorpius entered the classroom with a quick, "thanks."

They were just a few minutes late, and Professor Slughorn a quite rotund man with a mustache like a walrus was at the front of the classroom.

"Well welcome to class, boys. Glad you could make it." The Professor gestured for them to sit down. "Now that we are all here, we can begin. Today, we will be trying our hands at a new potion, the wit-sharpening potion. Often used to counteract the effects of a well-placed Confundus Charm. You will find the ingredients you need in the cabinets, and the instructions in your books, as well as on the chalk board." With that Professor Slughorn waved his wand and directions appeared on the chalk board, "you will have one hour!"

Albus watched as Scorpius gathered all of his ingredients, realizing this was the first time he had actually sat with him while in Potions class, despite having shared the same class for the past three years. Scorpius deftly chopped up his ingredients and began simmering his potion. Albus, meanwhile, was still having difficulty following step three, ' _Mixing Ground Scarab Beetles Until Red.'_ His potion was still blue, and for some reason the scarab beetles were not turning it red. Scorpius was already well past him, his potion was beginning to turn the purple color it needed to be before simmering for ten minutes.

"I never knew you were so good at potions." Albus quipped.

"I get it from my father, actually, he was quite good, or so I've been told." Scorpius answered.

"Well my father was rubbish at potions, luckily Aunt Hermione has given us some pointers, but I'm still behind you."

"Fifteen more minutes!" came Slughorn's voice from the front of the classroom.

"Oh no, I'm never going to finish this damn thing." Albus complained.

"Here, try this," Scorpius gave Albus another half of scarab beetle, "now, when you put it in, stir quickly three times, and then slow down on your fourth stir, continue that same pattern – three quick stirs and then one slow one."

Sure enough, the potion began turning a deep red.

"You're amazing you are. Thanks!" Albus smiled.

"You're welcome, Albus." Scorpius turned his attention back to his own potion and mixed in his ginger root as Professor Slughorn began making his way around the classroom to judge the students' progress.

"Oho! Scorpius, excellent progress! A perfect dark orange, I see you added the Ginger root at just the right time."

"Thank you, Professor." Scorpius replied.

"Alright everyone, please fill a vial with a sample of your potions and place them on my desk with your names attached. For homework, I would like a foot of parchment on why it is extremely important that this potion be absolutely perfect, and the effects it can have on a confunded mind, should the potion be imperfect."

As the bell began to sound, the classroom filled with the noise of scraping benches and students filing up towards the desk and out the door.

"Mr. Malfoy, could you wait for a moment." Professor Slughorn said as Scorpius placed his sample on his desk.

"Go on Albus, I'll catch up with you at lunch." Scorpius said.

"Alright, I'll see you later." Albus replied and with that he left the potions classroom and headed towards the Great Hall. Painfully aware of just what Professor Slughorn was probably wanting to speak with Scorpius about, he felt the urge to go back and tell Scorpius everything would be alright, but he didn't want to embarrass him, so he continued on up the stairs to the entrance hall and around to the Great Hall, where lunch was waiting.

Harry said his good byes to James and Lily and nodded to Professor McGonagall, he approached the fireplace in her office, the floo network had been connected to the Ministry for this temporary trip. Harry grabbed a small handful of floo powder and reached out to throw it into the fireplace, when green flames erupted suddenly and he jumped back. Professor McGonagall looked up from her desk, her brow creased, and her wand held at the ready.

"Did you know someone else was coming?" Harry asked her.

"No, the connection was only made for you, Mr. Potter." McGonagall answered.

Harry stood back and held his wand at the ready. A figure with bushy hair burst from the fireplace and the flames immediately ceased.

"Hermione!" Harry yelled, but when he looked in her eyes, he knew something was wrong.

"Ms. Weasley, what has happened?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"He's dead." Hermione whispered.

Harry and Professor McGonagall exchanged confused and shocked looks.

"Who's dead, Hermione?" Harry asked, not unkindly.

"The minister." She replied, her voice shaking.


	4. Called Out in the Dark

**Run** **– A Harry Potter Fan-Fiction featuring Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy**

 **Chapter 4 – Called Out in the Dark**

Harry stood, shocked and unsure what to say. Hermione looked out of breath, tears streamed from her eyes. Professor McGonagall had collapsed into her chair, behind her desk. For a moment, Harry felt that he was 17 years old again, only then it was Kingsley's voice via Patronus, telling them that the Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour had been killed. A dread built up inside of him, it felt as if Voldemort himself had returned and the wizarding world was once again at its knees, beholden to some form of unknown evil.

"Harry," Hermione whispered, Harry looked at her, and she continued more loudly, "The Malfoy's, now the Minister. This doesn't make any sense, at first we believed they were only targeting the Malfoy's because of their disavowing Voldemort, but now Kingsley murdered. Something bigger is happening here, and we are blind to it."

"We need to return to the Ministry, we need to figure out what is going on." Harry responded, he wiped a tear from his eye, he had no stime to grieve for Kinglsey right now, his children and all they fought for 19 years ago was now in danger. Hermione nodded at Harry.

"Professor," Harry began, turning towards Professor McGonagall, "We will update you as soon as we have any clue as to what exactly is going on here. Please, keep our children safe."

"Mr. Potter, Ms. Weasley, you do not need to worry about your children while they are here, they will be safe." Minerva McGonagall smiled a sad, but reassuring smile, "Go now, find out why the Malfoy's and now Kinglsey were so unnecessarily taken from us."

Harry and Hermione nodded, Harry grabbed another handful of floo powder and cast it into the fireplace, "The Ministry!" he shouted. Green flames erupted from the fireplace and they stepped in, the world spun, and then they stepped out of the fireplace into the atrium of the Ministry of Magic, and only one word came to Harry's mind to describe the scene in front of them, _chaos_.

Albus walked into the Great Hall, it's enchanted ceiling a beautiful sky blue, mimicking the sky outside. The four house tables, running the length of the hall, were filled with small groups of students all having lunch. It seemed that nobody had yet learned of the events that had transpired the night before at Malfoy Manor. Albus was thankful for that, he couldn't imagine how Scorpius would feel to be bombarded by apologies and sympathies form the entirety of the student body, he himself would want to hide. Albus looked over to the left and saw the Slytherin table was sparsely populated, it would seem most of the students had opted to enjoy lunch out out on the grassy sloped of the front lawn. Albus had told Scorpius he would see him at lunch, so he opted to walk to the table and take a seat. He was reaching up to grab a sandwich and some crisps, when he felt someone sit down next to him. Albus looked to his right, and saw Scorpius sitting next to him, "Hey mate." He said.

"Hey Albus, thanks for saving me a seat." Scorpius replied. His voice was shaky, Albus could tell he was holding back some emotion, or he was recovering from his conversation with Slughorn. Either way, he could tell Scorpius was upset, and wasn't sure what to do. He looked down and saw Scorpius hand resting on the bench, trembling slightly. Unsure of himself, but still wanting to make some kind of gesture, however small, Albus reached for his hand. Scorpius flinched slightly, but didn't move. Albus gave Scorpius's hand a reassuring, but gentle squeeze. Scorpius flexed his fingers and nodded slightly, Albus pulled his hand back and gave Scorpius his best effort at a sympathetic smile. Scorpius gave a sad smile back and wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his robe.

"Thank you Albus," Scorpius said, his voice unsteady, "Slughorn just wanted to extend his sympathies, my emotions managed to get the best of me."

Albus was unsure what to say, so he nodded and simply said, "Remember Scorpius, I'm here for you, no matter what."

Scorpius smiled, shook his head, wiped his eyes again, and grabbed a sandwich, "I didn't realize how hungry I was."

Albus looked at Scorpius, and shook his head. Albus wasn't sure exactly what to say at that moment, but was glad Scorpius was able to keep strong. Scorpius had started on a sandwich, so Albus took that as his cue to continue eating his as well.

Harry and Hermione had managed to make it to Hermione's office, through the chaotic nightmare that was the Ministry of Magic. Memos were flying everywhere, people were frantically running in every direction, whispering, screaming, everything they could to spread the word that not even 24 hours had passed after a prominent wizarding family was murdered, the Minister for Magic had also been murdered, but that was only the beginning.

"Harry, as Undersecretary to the Minister, I believe that I should call an emergency meeting, we need to get things under control."

"I couldn't agree more, this is madness." Harry nodded and covered his ears.

"SONORUS!" Hermione yelled, as she pointed her wand at her throat, "Fellow witches and wizards of the Ministry, this is Hermione Weasley, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic, in light of the tragic events that have befallen our community this past day, I do call for an emergency session of the Ministry leadership to convene in ten minutes' time, thank you."

Hermione pulled her wand away and nodded at Harry, who proceeded to pull his hands away from his ears. "Well we should be on our way." Hermione motioned towards her office door. The traditional meeting place for a large gathering of Ministry officials was the Wizengamot chambers, the only room big enough for the various heads of departments. The chambers were located on level 2, far below their current location, which meant they needed to hustle.

Scorpius swallowed the last bit of sandwich and looked to his left, where Albus Potter sat, finishing up his crisps. Before he had made it to lunch, Professor Slughorn had helf him back to express his sympathies and assure Scorpius that his parents would want him to carry on. Scorpius had expected this, but after having met with Harry Potter, Scorpius wasn't able to keep himself entirely contained and found himself crying in front of the Professor and he quickly pulled himself out of the classroom, breathing heavily, he had made his way down to the Great Hall and managed to stop his tears. The school did not yet know of the events that had transpired and he did not want to give everyone a reason to question him, he had sat down next to Albus breathing, and holding his emotions back. Then Albus had done something unexpected, he had touched his hand, given it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. For some reason, this had flooded him with warmth, and more than anything, helped him stop the tears that had been threatening to pour forth again. He was taken aback by the gesture, and had only flexed his fingers and nodded, not sure how else to react, but still thankful that it had happened. They had both finished their lunches and were headed to separate classes for their next periods. Scorpius had Arthmancy, and he knew Albus would be heading to Care of Magical Creatures. They had both stood up from the benches and began making their way out of the Great Hall, down into the Entrance Hall. Albus had looked at him then, a sad smile at his lips, and eyes full of sympathy. Scorpius wanted nothing more at that moment than to tear his eyes away before he began to cry again, but then Albus embraced him, and instead of crying, he smiled. Scorpius wasn't sure why he reacted this way, but Albus had quickly let go, and said, "better run, we're going to be late!" Scorpius had turned around and walked up the marble staircase to head to his Arithmancy class as Albus had walked across the entrance hall, towards the big oak front doors to go out on the grounds to his Care of Magical Creatures class. Scorpius felt slightly guilty, he knew the grief he felt about his parents should be his overriding feeling right now, but he also couldn't help but dwell on the thoughts of his sudden and seemingly meaningful friendship with Albus Potter. Now sitting in Arithmancy, Scorpius turned his focus on the Professor at the front of their classroom who was now going over their previous lecture on the importance of and the magical properties of the number seven.

"Hermione, Harry! Where have you been, what's going on?" A familiar voice called after them as they boarded they exited the elevator on level 2.

"Ronald!" Hermione turned and walked briskly towards her husband, she quickly embraced him and kissed his cheek, "Harry was at Hogwarts, after the news about Kingsley, I had to find him and let him know."

"Ron!" Harry walked quickly to his best friend and pulled him in for a quick hug, "Thank Merlin you're alright."

"Why wouldn't I be? What is this about Kingsley?" Hermione and Harry exchanged a look.

It then occurred to Harry that Ron had been France, as head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, he was arranging the next Tri-Wizard tournament for Hogwarts, he must have just returned, which meant he didn't know about the Malfoy's either.

Hermione's happiness at seeing her husband quickly disappeared from her face and was replaced with a solemn look, "Kingsley was murdered, Ron." Ron's face immediately reacted, his red beard and whiskers, all pulled up in his bright smile at seeing his wife and friend dropped into a look of disbelief, and despair.

"That's not all," Harry began, "Lucius, Narcissa, Draco, and Astoria were murdered last night as well."

"Bloody hell, I'm gone for three days, and the world is falling apart." Ron shook his head, his shaggy red hair falling down in his face. He pulled his hair back behind his ear, and sighed. "I imagine that is why everyone around here is acting crazy."

"Yes, I called a meeting as well, which is why we are all heading down here." Hermione responded."

"Yeah, I figured. I just heard your call for the meeting but wasn't sure what it was about, so I headed down this way. Well, let's not keep everyone waiting." Ron suggested.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked down the black stone hallway, made a quick left and entered the Wizengamot chamber, alive with the voices of dozens of Ministry officials.

 _"The Ministry is in chaos; they don't have any idea what is coming." A voice began, "Soon, we will reveal ourselves."_

 _"You're confident in your plans, but I have not received any news regarding the boy at Hogwarts." The figure with the rasping voice replied._

 _"I assure you, I am in contact with my associate, it will be handled." The first voice responded, the voice shaking slightly._

 _"You better pray it comes through, if I have to do it myself, I will be greatly…disappointed and I do not believe you will like it if I am disappointed." The rasping voice uttered, with a hint of mirth._

 _"CRUCIO!" The rasping voice screamed, suddenly pointing it's wand at the figure with the first voice._

 _The first voice screamed and it's body fell to the ground, trembling, "NO PLEASE! I ASSURE YOU!"_

 _"I need more than assurances." The rasping voice snarled._

 _The figure kept his wand pointed at the writhing figure on the ground, the body was twisting in pain, the mouth was screaming._

 _"SILENCIO!" The noises stopped, but the figure's mouth could still be seen wordlessly screaming, it's limbs contorting and twisting in shapes that would otherwise be impossible. The figure with the rasping voice felt a smile come to it's lips, after a minute or so, the figure dropped it's wand hand and the figure on the ground immediately stopped writhing and stopped screaming. It's breath was ragged, and blood was pooling on the ground where it's mouth lay against the cold stone floor._

 _"Now, do not waste my time any longer, or next time you will beg for me to kill you." The rasping voice promised._

 _The figure on the floor whimpered, but nodded it's head._


	5. Ways and Means

Run – A Harry Potter Fan-fiction featuring Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy

 **Chapter Five – Ways and Means**

Harry watched as the witches and wizards before him were stunned into silence. Hermione had just broke the news, officially, that Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, had been found murdered, along with the muggle Prime Minister in the Prime Minister's office. Muggle authorities were searching for suspects. Furthermore, the deaths of the Malfoy family were made official as well. Looks of panic flitted through the crowd assembled before them, but Hermione's steady voice kept the tension from swelling.

"In light of these events," Hermione was saying, "we must remain strong, we must keep our friends close, and we must not give into fear." She continued, "with Minister Shacklebolt's passing, it will be necessary to hold an emergency election for an interim Minister to oversee the Ministry until a proper election can be held. Therefore, I move to nominate Auror Potter, as head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and his own personal experiences with dark wizards, I do believe he is the best possible candidate for this troubling time."

Hermione looked at Harry, who was dumbstruck. This was the last thing he had been expecting, given the circumstances, he knew an emergency leader would need to be appointed, but it was certainly not what he wanted, He nodded in acknowledgement to Hermione, but then took the opportunity to speak, "Thank you Undersecretary Weasley, that was unexpected, though I do appreciate your confidence. That being said, I do believe that I also have the opportunity to nominate a candidate, and with that I move to nominate Undersecretary Weasley. As Kingsley's undersecretary, she has had his ear and his confidence. As the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, my place is in the field, Ms. Weasley has what it takes to keep the Ministry going and the patience to do the right thing." Harry finished and smiled at Hermione, who smiled back at him, "Thank you, Harry."

Hermione then turned to the audience, "Would anyone else like to put forth a name for consideration?"

The wizards and witches were oddly silent, but no hands went into the air and no voices spoke up. No doubt that fear of being, "in charge" and thus being a target drove many that would otherwise have done anything to be the Minister, think otherwise at this particular moment in time.

"Very well, we will take the official vote now by simple majority. All those in favor of Auror Potter?"

A dozen or so hands went up, approximately a third of those assembled.

Hermione shook her head and took a breath. Harry then spoke up, "All those in favor of Undersecretary Weasley?"

The remaining hands went up, approximately two-thirds of those assembled, Hermione had clearly won the vote. Harry smiled at Hermione, "Congratulations, Minister Weasley."

Hermione beamed, though she'd never admit it, it was all she'd worked for and now, though the circumstances were dire, Harry could not help but be happy for her.

"Thank you everyone, I promise, that as Minister, I will insure we are doing everything to get to the bottom of these recent events. You are all dismissed, and thank you for attending this meeting."

The assembled witches and wizards began filing out of the courtroom and went about their daily routines, though alive with chatter.

Ron came up to Hermione and wrapped her in a hug and gave her a quick kiss, "Congratulations, sweetheart." He said, "I better get up to the office, the Bulgarians and the French want to discuss how the Triwizard Tournament will differ this year and they enjoy giving me an endless earful for being late. Harry, have you spoken to Draco and Astoria's son?"

Harry responded quickly, "Yes, I was at Hogwarts and spoke with Professor McGonagall, as well as with Scorpius. He's having some problems coping, but he and Albus seem to have sparked up a friendship, I hope that will help him."

"Problems coping?" Ron inquired.

"Yeah, he's very much like Draco, at least from my initial conversation with him, he seems to be trying to hold it all in." Harry answered.

"Well, hopefully Albus can keep him grounded." Ron responded.

"Yes, I hope so as well." Harry nodded, "Well Ron, good luck at the meeting, I need to get to my office, Albus apparently sent me an owl, and I haven't managed to read it yet."

"Enjoy yourself, Ronald." Hermione quipped.

"Good luck, Ron" Harry said as Ron left the room.

"Well, this is going to be hard, Harry but I'm glad you're all with me." Hermione took a deep breath and walked towards the door.

"Excellent wand work Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall commented as she passed by Albus. The fourth years were practicing transfiguring a guinea fowl into a guinea pig. Cross-species transfiguration had been a particularly difficult subject to start, but Albus seemed to be getting the hang of it very quickly. He was also thankful that Aunt Hermione had spoken to him about this once and could remember her telling him about how she, Uncle Ron, and his father had had to do the same thing during their fourth year, James had been working on homework over the Holidays while Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron were visiting and he had been struggling with an essay about the very subject. Scorpius also seemed to be getting the knack of it. Albus had noticed that Scorpius wand-work was always very elegant and flowed smoothly. Albus wasn't quite sure why he had been paying attention, but he found it very impressive. At this particular moment, Scorpius was performing the spell on their guinea fowl, and he couldn't help but watch.

"Albus." Scorpius' voice snapped Albus back to reality.

"Yes?" Albus answered.

"Were you just watching my wand-work?" Scorpius asked with a hint of something Albus couldn't quite place.

"Umm, yeah." Albus answered. He could feel his cheeks turning red and quickly looked away.

"You don't have turn away; I was just asking." Scorpius responded.

Albus chuckled and could feel himself get more red. What was going on with him? Why did he feel so embarrassed? He took a breath and turned back to Scorpius.

"What was that all about?" Scorpius asked.

"Nothing, I was just admiring your wand-work, it's very…elegant." Albus said.

Scorpius had the decency to turn red as well, "W-well, th-thanks." Scorpius stammered. At that moment, Professor McGonagall's voice cracked like a whip across the classroom.

"Your attention please. Very good wand-work today, as we progress more deeply into cross-species transfiguration, this will get much more complex. Therefore, I recommend you practice regularly." Professor McGonagall finished.

The bell rang and the students all stood up and began shuffling out of the classroom. Albus and Scorpius walked together out of the classroom and headed back to the common room. Transfiguration was their final class of the day, and it had been a very long day.

"Albus!" A voice called behind them from down the hallway. Albus turned around and saw his little sister, Lily, rushing up to them. "Hey Albus, did Dad come see you today?"

"Yeah, earlier today." Albus responded, "he talked to both of us, actually." Albus gestured towards Scorpius.

As if she just realized that Scorpius was there, Lily's face suddenly went dark, "Oh Scorpius, I'm so sorry."

Scorpius' face scrunched up slightly, but he took a deep breath and said simply, "Thank you Lily, I appreciate that."

Albus looked at Lily and asked, "How did you find out?"

"Oh, everyone knows, there was an emergency edition of the Daily Prophet that came out, Rowlfe, a kid in my divination class, received an owl while we were supposed to be gazing into Crystal Balls, Professor Trelawney was unbearable after he read it." Lily did her best to look sympathetic towards Scorpius, who simply nodded.

"That's not all though, Kingsley and the Muggle Prime Minister were both murdered in the Prime Minister's office and Aunt Hermione was voted in as interim Minister for Magic." Albus face showed his shock, without a doubt. Scorpius' face was passive. Albus wanted to grab his hand or give him a hug, the idea that the entire school now knew meant that everyone would be talking about it. The last day, only he and Scorpius and a few teachers knew, Albus had no doubt he would now have to step up and keep his promise to keep Scorpius from losing his mind.

"Thanks for the heads up, Lily." She looked at her older brother for a moment, and then ran towards him, arms open. "Kingsley, Albus, Kingsley is gone." He looked down at her face and could see tears in her eyes.

"It will be ok Lily, have you written Mom or Dad?"

"No, I haven't had a chance," her voice was muffled as she pressed her face into his chest.

"I think maybe we should, have you spoken with Rose, Hugo, or James?" Albus asked.

"I saw James in the common room, before I came to find you, he already knew, found out in his class as well." Lily answered and Albus looked at Scorpius again, he could see the tears threatening to pour out, his eyes were red and his passive face wa filled with unexpressed emotion.

"Lily, why don't you find Rose and Hugo, I am going to take Scorpius down to our common room." Albus asked her.

Lily let go, and looked up at Scorpius, sniffed and then nodded her head, "Ok Alb, I'll write dad and mom as well."

Before she left, Lily walked up to Scorpius and gave him a quick hug as well, Scorpius didn't seem to understand what was happening, but he awkwardly patter her on the back and said, "thank you."

Lily smiled, her eyes still red from her spent tears, and quickly turned around, walking back towards the Gryffindor common room.

"Oh Scorpius," Albus looked at him, "I'm here for you."

"Don't worry about me, what about you, Kingsley? Your family was close with him, yes?" Scorpius asked.

"Yeah, he would come over for dinner on occasions and we've spent many holidays with him." Albus responded.

"I'm sorry, Albus." Scorpius said.

"I'll be ok, thank you. It's you I'm worried about." Albus smiled a half-smile and started walking again down the hallway, side by side with Scorpius.

"Albus, I know I say I'm going to be alright, but you are right. It hurts, it hurts so much." Scorpius said as they were walking. Albus turned towards Scorpius, would you rather not go to the common room right now?"

Scorpius seemed to muse over that for a second, but responded, "I don't want to, but I'm going to have to face them all eventually, might as well get it over with."

"Remember, I'm here too, you can lean on me if you need to." Albus answered.

Scorpius smiled amidst all the emotions of the moment, Albus was happy to see him smile. He reached out and squeezed Scorpius' shoulder, "It'll be alright, I'm right here." They continued down the stairs at the end of the hallway and headed towards the dungeons, where the Slytherin common room awaited them.

 _"They put the mudblood in charge." The rasping voice said. The figure was situated in an armchair, looking into crackling, orange flames. Another figure was huddled up on a small rug in front of the fire, apparently naked, trembling slightly. "A MUDBLOOD as Minister for Magic!" The rasping voice shouted at the flames. The figure on the ground trembled at the shout. "Ah yes, my pet, I have not forgotten about you. Your task is now at hand. Get me the last Malfoy, or you will suffer my displeasure._

 _The figure did not move, but only trembled once more. "Y-y-yes, m-m-master."_

 _"NOW!" The voice roared._

 _The huddled figure stood up, his naked body marked with scratches of his own making. Some only on the surface, others had left scars several inches long. The Cruciatus Curse had caused him to begin tearing at his own skin to try to end the pain, his master did nothing but laugh, but he was powerless. His master had taken his wand, and all he could do was bear the pain. He was thankful that his master had stopped the last time, he was needed, he would bring the Malfoy boy to his master and would never be tortured again. He would not disappoint._


	6. Perfect Little Secret

Run – A Harry Potter Fan Fiction Featuring Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy

 **Chapter Six – Perfect Little Secret**

Facing the common room had not been nearly as challenging as Scorpius thought it would be. Most of the house simply gave him an acknowledging nod, an encouraging smile, or simply gave him their apologies. Regardless however, Scorpius excused himself up to the dormitory as quickly as he could, just to be away from the looks of sympathy. Albus had been there beside him, but could only do so much to help stave off his own emotional battle, Albus had stayed in the common room, as his aunt Hermione Weasley had been named interim Minister for Magic, and he was being asked a million and one questions as well. Scorpius was hesitant to admit it to himself, but he actually missed Albus being here with him, for some reason these past few days had brought them close and he couldn't be sure, but he thought Albus may feel the same way. He wasn't entirely sure what his feelings were, he just knew that Albus made him feel better, he made him smile, and that was all he needed right now, to smile and to feel safe. However, Albus seemed to be busy in the common room, so Scorpius took the time alone to gather his own thoughts, and began to contemplate exactly what Albus was to him, his friend yes, but maybe he felt more than that? He had never really contemplated the idea that he may find himself with another bloke, but he had never felt this comfortable with or close to another person, even his on and off again girlfriends he'd had over the past year or two.

As Scorpius contemplated his relationship with Albus or if that were even possible, he began to doze off on his four-poster bed, his green blankets and fluffy pillow inviting a needed respite from the tough days he had been having, before long he was fast asleep.

"Mr. Potter, we've done a thorough examination of the bodies of the Malfoy's and it is entirely evident that they were each murdered with the Killing Curse." Lucella explained, she had come to Harry's office to explain the Aurors' findings. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun, emphasizing her sharp cheek bones, Harry couldn't help but see an unmistakable resemblance to Professor McGonagall in her youth.

"Yes, thank you Lucella, was there anything else? Any markings, any other possibility as to why this was done, beyond what we've already guessed?" Harry asked.

"Yes, actually." Lucella hesitated for a moment, her eyes flickered to the left and right, then she continued, looking uncomfortable, "they each had a word carved into their stomachs, a very nasty bit of savagery."

"What was the word?" Harry inquired.

"Puritas," Lucella answered, "Latin for purity."

Harry shook his head, anger boiled up inside of him, "Purity?" he scoffed.

Lucella seemed to take note of his change in demeanor and simply nodded. Harry could not believe what he was hearing, the Malfoys had been murdered, and then savagely cut into, as if branded. Shaking his head again, he began, "Thank you Lucella, for your information and for you and your team's hard work. Let's get the bodies prepped for a funeral."

"As you wish, sir." Lucella nodded her head and left his office.

Harry sat down in the mahogany chair behind his matching desk. Piles of paperwork relating to the mess from these past few days as well as old case files cluttered the area, a picture of Ginny, Himself, and the kids reminded him of why he dealt with the stresses of his job. Harry glanced over the papers, the letter from Albus lay opened, Albus had asked Harry for advice on how to help Scorpius cope with his losses. From what Harry could see, Albus didn't need any help, Scorpius seemed to have taken a natural turn towards Albus in his moment of need, and Albus seems completely willing to be the shoulder Scorpius needed. Harry smiled briefly remembering their conversation beside the lake at Hogwarts, happy that his son was growing up to be a thoughtful and appreciative young man. His thoughts were jarred as his eyes flicked towards another picture, a newer picture that symbolized change. Astoria and Draco Malfoy with he and then Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt. The Malfoys had done their very best to overcome the stigma that had marred their name since the older generations support of Voldemort had become public. They had done their best to fund and support muggle relations campaigns, and providing additional funding for the Muggle Studies program at Hogwarts. They had been active in advocating for muggle protection laws and had publicly apologized for their participation in the war on the side of the enemy. Harry had been so grateful for all they were doing, and all of that was tragically ended. Harry felt his own grief begin to surface. He reached up his hand to wipe a tear that had fallen from his cheek and his thoughts turned to Scorpius once more. Harry decided the best thing to do for Scorpius would be to try to keep him safe, he would speak with Ginny and see about having Scorpius come stay with them during the holiday and over the summer, if necessary. That way Scorpius could be around friends, and they could keep him safe. Undoubtedly the nameless, faceless enemy would come after Scorpius soon.

Albus had finally managed to escape the seemingly innumerable questions his fellow students had decided to ask him. All he could think about was getting up to the dormitory to make sure Scorpius was alright. He seemed to be ok, but he had excused himself to the dormitory and Albus couldn't help but worry about him. Albus knocked slightly on the dormitory door, but there was no response. The other boys in his year were still down in the common room, or out in the castle, so the other five beds were empty. Their dormitory was square with a large fireplace in the middle, the six beds were all made up in green and silver, the colors of Slytherin house. A small door on the opposite side of the room from Albus went into the bathroom and showers. The room was richly decorated and warm, you would never have guessed it was in the dungeons, and Albus had always been thankful for that. Albus bed was to his right, immediately after the door that led to the common room, Scorpius' bed was to the right of Albus' and that was where Scorpius was now, asleep atop the blankets, breathing steadily. Albus was glad Scorpius had managed to get some rest, amidst the chaos of the last few days. Albus decided to lay down as well, thankful for the quiet in the room. He laid down on top of the covers, resting his head on the pillow and turned over on his side. He noticed Scorpius was still fast asleep and found himself staring. He began to reflect on the last few days and realized how close he and Scorpius had become, from only the occasional hello and being on a last name basis, to Albus now taking it upon himself to make sure Scorpius could cope with the recent tragedies. Albus smiled to himself, and thought of Scorpius' smile and felt his cheeks get warm. He was beginning to realize that he may have felt more for Scorpius than simply being his friend, but he wasn't too sur how to handle that, he had never had a girlfriend, but he also had never contemplated the idea of having feelings for another bloke. Albus was always more focused on school work, and more recently, quidditch, he never had the time to think about it. But as he lay there, staring at Scorpius Malfoy's face as it rested on the pillow, he had the strong urge to run his fingers through his blond hair. Albus smiled to himself, but then realized that Scorpius may not feel or even think the same way, he shook his head and turned over, realizing he felt foolish, but also remembering the feeling that coursed through his body when he grabbed Scorpius' hand at lunch, he wanted to feel that again, a connection, even for a moment, but now he was afraid to do so. No, until Scorpius said something to him, or made a similar action, he would keep his thoughts to himself, and would be more careful with his actions. Albus then closed his eyes and tried his best to purge thoughts of Scorpius from his mind, except those that were exclusively about being his friend and helping through the difficult times he was facing. Slowly sleep came to his eyes, and the blackness took him.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted, she had ran into his office so quickly he jerked his head up and felt his neck pop, "Ouch!" he said aloud.

"Sorry! But it's important, the mark has been sighted again." Hermione looked panicked.

"Where?" Harry asked, alarmingly.

"Near Godric's Hollow, actually." Hermione answered, looking hesitant.

"Godric's Hollow!? Why there?" Harry asked.

"I'm not sure, there are quite a few sympathetic wizarding families as well as quite a large amount of muggles living there, not to mention your own personal history with it." Hermione answered.

"Well, I _have_ to go." Harry replied.

"I'm coming with you." Hermione stated, in a tone not to be argued with.

Harry sighed, "I can't deny the Minister for Magic."

Harry walked over to Hermione and they each turned on the spot. The world collapsed around them, the air became tight and his head spun, then as soon as it started it stopped. Harry was now standing in the middle of a quiet street in Godric's Hollow, the night air crisp and cool. Hermione squeezed his arm and pointed to the sky. The Dark Mark was glowing green overhead, a few muggles down the street seemed to be awestruck by it. Harry and Hermione began walking down the street and could see where the mark was situated above, the burned remnants of the home his parents had been murdered in all those years ago. Hermione looked at Harry, his eyes had gone cold, and a fierce determination overcame him, they would find out who was doing this.

"Ah, the boy who lived and the Mudblood. Two birds with one stone, it would seem." A rasping voice whispered ahead of them, a figure had appeared in a black robe, the hood pulled up concealing the features, but the voice was distinct, and Harry had a feeling he knew who had murdered the Malfoys and the Ministers. Hermione already had her wand out. Pointing it at the figure, she began, "Who are you?"

"I am the forgotten, but forgotten I will be, no more." The rasping voice uttered. Suddenly, his wand appeared and a heat rushed through the air. Harry had his wand out in a flash and yelled, "PROTEGO!" just as Hermione did the same. Whatever effect the figure with the rasping voice was going for, it did not affect them, as Harry's shield charm was able to deflect the orange and yellow flames from Hermione and himself, Hermione's shield charm seemed to have been cast across a group of muggles who now looked frightened and pale. As the flames receded, the damage could be seen. Half of the block, including the house that was already burned was now aflame, dozens of muggles were screaming, lights were coming on and people were rushing out of their homes. The rasping figure was nowhere to be seen, but the damage extended beyond structures, multiple groups of muggles that had been out were now nothing but burnt bone strewn about the sidewalks they had just been walking on. Harry surveyed the devastation, full of rage, as tears stung his eyes. Hermione let out a gasp and a light sob. "Oh, Harry, this is too much."

 _The figure, robed in black, stepped out into the night. The air was crisp and cool, his robes swished about his feet in the breeze, his scars itched and each step was pained. However, he was determined to do his duty, determined to make his master happy so that he would no longer suffer his displeasure. The master had even been kind enough to give him back his wand so that he may fulfill his duty as a wizard, not a magic-less savage. The figure began walking forwards along an empty street, the night air felt freeing, and though each step hurt, he also felt alive for the first time in days. He had undergone torture by the Cruciatus Curse, had had been stripped and humiliated in front of the others, his master had not stopped, even as he begged and began to rip and tear into his own skin, but now all of that was over. The Malfoy boy would be found and he would be rewarded. The figure knew where he must go, Hogwarts was impenetrable, but the village, that was where his chance would present itself, and that was where Malfoy could be taken from. The figure smiled to himself, and continued down the dark street, ready for the trial ahead of him._


	7. Crack the Shutters

Run – A Harry Potter Fan-Fiction Featuring Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy

Chapter Seven – Crack the Shutters

The next morning came early, Scorpius woke up to all of his dormitory mates still fast-asleep, including Albus Potter. Scorpius stretched his arms and stifled a yawn. He took a quick look around, appreciating the quiet and peach that came with the early morning. Not being able to quite help himself, he looked over at Albus Potter's bed and could just make out his face between the pulled curtains of his four-poster bed. Scorpius smiled slightly too himself, not entirely sure why, but he shook it off, and pulled himself out of bed and made his way over to the bathroom.

After a quick shower, Scorpius dressed, and by that time, his dorm-mates were waking up and preparing for a Saturday breakfast before heading down to Hogsmeade for their first Hogsmeade visit of the term. With all of the events of the previous few days, Scorpius hadn't thought of Hogsmeade and suddenly felt excited and nervous all at the same time. This was an excellent opportunity to escape the stares and pitying looks of his fellow students, but it also meant the villagers would be new people to offer the same. Scorpius found that, although it would be uncomfortable, he would definitely be happy to escape the castle for a little bit at least, he made his way over to Albus Potter's bed where Albus seemed to be getting out of bed.

Scorpius Malfoy was walking towards him as Albus pulled himself out of bed. Scorpius seemed to have already showered and was dressed in muggle clothes, a pair of jeans and a tight-fitting t-shirt. Albus couldn't help but linger just a tad too long on the way the shirt clung to Scorpius' skinny, yet toned frame. Catching himself, he quickly looked down. As Scorpius approached, he didn't seem to have noticed, but did begin to ask Albus a question.

"Hey, Albus, would you want to go down to Hogsmeade with me today? It's ok if you don't want too, I know its last minute and you probably have plans, but I just wanted to ask."

Albus was taken aback, it wasn't what he expected, but inside he was jumping for joy, but in an attempt to contain himself, he simply said, "Sure."

Scorpius gave him a quizzical look, "Sure?"

Albus felt his face turn red, "I mean, yeah, I'll come with you."

Albus watched Scorpius' face, and saw it light up immediately, but all he said was, "I hope it's not too much trouble."

Albus responded, "Of course not."

Scorpius shook his head and then said, "Alright, well I will see you down at breakfast."

Albus nodded and as Scorpius walked away, he pulled his shirt off and headed towards the bathroom to shower.

As Albus walked away, Scorpius took a quick look behind him. Albus Potter's back was well- muscled despite the fact that Albus himself was rather slim, tan, and showed all of the evidence of Albus being a quidditch player. Scorpius felt his cheeks get warm, and quickly looked away, he also felt a stirring elsewhere, and quickly walked down out of the dormitory, shaking his head at himself and wishing he had not looked at all. Scorpius made his way across the deserted common room, and headed out into the castle towards the Great Hall.

"Headmistress, whoever did this has no fear of ministry wizards or being in public, I strongly urge you to keep the students at Hogwarts, Hogsmeade may not be safe." Hermione's head was speaking urgently from Professor McGonagall's fireplace next to his own. Harry and Hermione had returned to the ministry amidst the nightmare that had unfolded in Godric's Hollow. Nearly the entire Magical Law Enforcement and Auror departments were deployed, gathering evidence and trying to determine who was the culprit. They were also altering many muggle's memories, and working on trying to look to the wounds of the muggles that had been in the middle of the event. Hermione had come to his office immediately the next day and had brought up the Hogwart's visits to Hogsmeade as potentially unsafe, Harry couldn't help but agree, but he also knew causing a panic may not be the best way to approach the situation. Instead, he let Hermione say her peace and waited for Professor McGonagall's response, which soon followed, "Minister, I assure you, we can insure our students are safe, the one thing we cannot do is allow ourselves to be bullied or scared. Hogsmeade is a village full of wizards, surely this person that is determined to bring harm to muggles wouldn't think twice of attacking an all-wizard village?"

"While I would agree, Headmistress, I do not believe we are dealing with rational people, I also am worried, particularly about Scorpius Malfoy." Hermione responded.

Harry finally found himself ready to speak up, "While I agree, the students' safety is the most important thing here, I still think it is best that we make sure they have as normal of a time as possible, given the circumstances. Why don't I relocate some aurors, and myself to Hogsmeaded today for the trip, as added security?"

Hermione looked at Harry, but he couldn't tell if it was anger or relief, at that time Professor McGonagall spoke up as well, "I think that would be more than sufficient."

Hermione sighed, "very well, thank you for your time, headmistress."

"Thank you for your time, minister." Professor McGonagall responded.

Harry and Hermione pulled themselves out of the fireplace, "well I better get myself over to Hogsmeade." Harry said quickly.

Hermione looked at him, and then said, "Harry, be careful."

"Always am." Harry responded with a smirk.

Hermione gave him a half-hearted smile back, "I mean it, if there is any trouble, let me know, immediately."

"Of course I will." Harry replied.

The great hall was nearly full, students all assembled for breakfast on the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year. The teachers, including Headmistress McGonagall at their table at the head of the hall, seemed to be in deep conversation, Albus made his way over to the Slytherin table and saw Scorpius, his white-blond hair alive with the sunlight reflecting from the windows around the hall.

"Oh hello." Scorpius looked up as Albus sat down on his left side. Albus could make out a slight smile on Scorpius' lips, and decided that that made him feel more at ease.

"Any idea why the teachers look so anxious?" Albus asked.

"I don't, there haven't been any owls yet, and nobody has spoken." Scorpius replied, but as he did so, Professor McGonagall stood up.

"Students," she said, her voice carrying across the hall, and the low murmur that had filled the hall died down immediately, "last night in Godric's Hollow, a dozen muggles were murdered and significant damage was done to multiple houses by an as-of-yet unidentified culprit."

Several sharp intakes of breath were heard across the hall, and then complete silence fell, Albus felt himself tense up and looked at Scorpius, who's face was a mask.

Professor McGonagall continued, "Now some of you may be wondering how this will affect us here at Hogwarts, and for now let me tell you, classes will continue as scheduled, and the visit to Hogsmeade will go on as scheduled today, but a few changes will be made. The auror office is sending more aurors for security at the village, to insure your safety. Here at the school, we will begin a strict curfew policy each evening, to insure all students are safely in their dormitories. Now, please enjoy your breakfast, before beginning your Saturday. I do strongly encourage all of our students to be mindful of your surroundings, please report suspicious activity to your head of house, your prefects, or your head boy or head girl. Thank you."

With that Professor McGonagall sat back down and the rumble began across the great hall, hundreds of shocked voices began discussing the events of the night before. Albus again looked at Scorpius, who seems stony faced, but determined to keep himself contained. Albus couldn't help himself, he reached over and touched Scorpius' hand with his own, giving it a slight squeeze, Scorpius looked over and smiled, half-heartedly.

"I'm alright Albus," Scorpius responded as he turned his hand over and squeezed Albus' hand. At that moment, a fellow Slytherin by the name of Knott, looked over and gave Albus a slightly confused look, to which Albus quickly pulled his hand away and began loading his plate with food.

Scorpius watched as Knott gave Albus a confused look, and could tell that Albus was uncomfortable, he felt the comforting hand pull away suddenly as Albus began to pile food on his plate. Scorpius felt a sudden drop in his stomach, and now felt, if it were possible, even less hungry than he had after hearing the news about Godric's Hollow. The minutes passed as students around him consumed their breakfast, including Albus next to him, but he couldn't bring himself to eat anything. Albus did look over a couple of times with a concerned expression, but Scorpius couldn't bring himself to touch anything. Once Albus had finished his breakfast, Scorpius gestured towards the doorway entrance to the Great Hall, to which Albus stood up and began walking.

"I didn't think you were ever going to be done." Scorpius remarked as they walked towards the doorway.

"Hahaha," Albus laughed, "don't think I didn't notice that you didn't eat. You certainly do not to be skipping any meals."

"Albus Potter, are you making fun of me?" Scorpius smirked.

"No, just pointing out that you're so skinny, I could probably break you just by squeezing you!" Albus shot back.

Scorpius suddenly had a mental image of Albus wrapping him in a hug, and squeezing him hard. He felt a warmth spread across his face and a smile come to his lips, but quickly shook the feeling away, and looked down. "You'd have to catch me first." Scorpius replied.

"Is that a challenge?" Albus asked.

"If you want it to be," Scorpius responded, but then his voice fell, "I couldn't eat. Just wasn't hungry, all of the news."

Albus nodded his head, "I understand, but you should still have tried to get something down."

"I know, I know. But hey, more room for lunch now." Scorpius said.

Scorpius and Albus walked down the pathway from the Hogwarts entrance hall out onto the grounds, taking the long trail amidst groups of other students heading down towards the village of Hogsmeade, situated on the opposite side of the lake as Hogwarts was, the winding trail took them along the lake. It was beautiful this weekend, the sun glinted off of the top of the lake and sparkled in the morning mist.

 _This was the first weekend the Hogwarts students would be at Hogsmeade. His plan would work, he had faith. His master would soon forgive him and reward him, most effectively, for capturing the Malfoy boy. He just needed a little more time, and a way to get the Malfoy boy alone. He had an idea, he hoped would work, but the timing would need to be just right._

As they walked down the pathway to Hogsmeade together, Albus's thoughts dwelled back to the feeling in his hand as he felt Scorpius' hand against his own and found himself imagining what it would it be like to hold it longer.

"Albus, isn't that your dad?" Scorpius was squeezing Albus' arm and pointing towards a thin man with glasses and messy hair. Sure enough, it would seem one of the Aurors the ministry was sending was his very own father.

"Hey, Dad!" Albus called out over the groups of students that were still in front of them.

"Albus! Scorpius! It's good to see you again, boys. Any exciting plans for Hogsmeade today?" Harry asked them.

"I don't think so," Albus admitted.

"Well, I was thinking we could catch a drink in the Three Broomsticks, and I was thinking about looking at some new dress robes." Scorpius answered.

"Well there you go!" Harry answered, a little too excitedly.

Albus could tell his father was trying to keep things calm, although he surely knew that they knew why he was there.

"Alright dad, well we will see you later." Albus said.

"Boys," his voice grew more quiet, "please be careful and look out for each other. Hermione is worried that something may happen here today, and I can't say I disagree, but that's why we are here."

"Aunt Hermione is here too?" Albus asked.

"No, no, just myself and some Aurors, but if something does happen, she will be here in a heartbeat." Harry responded.

Albus and Scorpius nodded and said their farewells and made their way down the last bit of trail into Hogsmeade proper.


	8. The Weight of Love

Run – A Harry Potter Fan-Fiction Featuring Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy

Before we begin, I am so sorry that it has taken so long to update! I have been super busy with starting school and work and whatnot! But I promise I will get my story update more regularly now! Thank you for the couple of reviews I've gotten! Please let me know what you think! Thanks again :D

Chapter Eight – The Weight of Love

"What would you like to do first?" Scorpius felt himself ask, as they walked down the main pathway through Hogsmeade. Many Hogwarts students were around, though more hushed than normal. Many of them would have seen Albus' father and the other aurors about the village. The atmosphere felt tense, but he still wanted to enjoy himself as best he could. The memories of the last several days haunted him, and right now he just wanted to escape it. Being here with Albus was something he wanted to enjoy, even if Albus did not enjoy it in quite the same way as he would.

"Oh, I don't know, would you like to go to the Weasley's? They finally managed to get the joke shop opened here!"

Scorpius felt himself smile, of course Albus would want to check that out, for all his sympathy and support these last few days, Albus was, at heart, a fun-loving type.

"Of course," Scorpius said, and he followed Albus down the avenue and into the bustling building branded as _Weasley's Wizard Wheezes – Hosgmeade._

Albus was well aware that Scorpius had mentioned going to look at dress robes and catching a drink, but he really wanted to check out the joke shop, besides, Scorpius had asked him what he wanted to do, so surely it was ok? He shook his thoughts away, if Scorpius had not have wanted to come, he would have said so. He glanced over and saw Scorpius looking, interestedly, at a box of sweets.

"Oh! Those are neat, if you eat one end, you become ill in some way, and then you can skip class or whatever you're trying to avoid, then eat the other end, and you're back to perfect health! I remember dad telling us about Uncle Fred and Uncle George testing them while they were all still in school. It's one of the best sellers!"

Scorpius couldn't help but grin at that, Albus was clearly enjoying himself, and the giddiness in his voice was good to hear. It made Scorpius feel at ease, and forget all the pain of the last few days. Though he would never dream of skipping class, he could see why some would. He looked at Albus, who looked as if he was waiting for Scorpius to say something.

"Er- well, thank you for that explanation, Albus." Scorpius stammered.

"You're always so proper." Albus retorted, with a bit of sass.

"Well, I'm sorry I'm not an un-civilized heathen." He tried to keep his face straight, but couldn't hold it long. They both burst out laughing. And it was at that moment that Scorpius felt himself falling over.

"Scorpius!" Albus voice suddenly cried out, though it sounded more distant as he fell.

As Albus yelled, an auror he didn't recognize burst into the joke shop, the students around moved quickly out of the way, many staring at the situation unfolding. The auror quickly looked around and immediately asked, "Did you see anything or anyone?" Albus was shell-shocked. Scorpius was laying on the floor and he immediately dropped to the ground to check on him. The Auror asked again, more demandingly, "No," someone else answered, "he just sort of fell down." By then, Harry Potter had joined them. Albus could feel the wet-hot sting on his cheeks as he tried to get a reaction out of Scorpius. But he lay there, motionless.

"Albus," he could hear his dad beside him, "Albus, let me near him." Albus could feel himself moving, but staying as close as he could.

"Albus, he's alive, he will be ok. I'm not sure what happened here, but I promise, he will be ok. Elliard, grab the others and search everywhere, do not come back to me until you find who could have done this."

"Yes, sir." Albus could see the auror that had burst in turn about and leave the shop. He wiped his eyes and looked at his father, "Dad, how do you know he will be ok?"

"Because, he's just asleep, but I'm not sure why, it's no matter though, I can wake him up. Ennervate!" Harry said, with authority as he pointed his wand at Scorpius' motionless body.

Scropius began to stir, but then immediately began to shake. His hands clenched and a scream erupted from his mouth.

"Dad! What's happening, what's wrong with him?" Albus panicked, looking at his father for help. But his father looked frightened, but then saw Albus looking at him and quickly gained his composure.

His father whispered a spell and Scorpius' body began to calm down, the screaming stopped, and he lay motionless again.

"I put him back to sleep, Albus, I'm afraid of what may be happening here. I need your help; I'm going to try something."

Albus nodded, "Whatever I have to do, I will."

Harry admired the fierce determination in his son's eyes. Scorpius Malfoy meant something to him, maybe even something more than Albus could admit to himself, and he had to do his best to make sure his son didn't lose him. Harry looked around at the students assembled around them,

"I would ask that you all leave us, and head back to the school. The Headmistress will need to be informed of what happened here, and she will want nothing but safety for the rest of you, please make your way back to the castle, I will send word."

"Expecto Patronum," he said as a silver stag burst forth from his wand. "Headmistress, there has been an attack, I'm sending the students back with the aurors I can spare." The stag rushed between the students that were filing out of the shop.

Once the room was empty, Harry moved himself back from Scorpius and took a deep breath. "Albus, I'm going to attempt to get into Scorpius mind and see what he is seeing in his dreams. I have a feeling it isn't good and it could be what is causing his distress. If something goes wrong, If I react to it incorrectly, I will need you to break the connection by stunning me. Do you understand?"

Albus nodded, but looked concerned. "I don't know if I'm strong enough to stun you."

"Just use the emotion your experiencing right now, you want to make sure Scorpius is ok, focus that energy and that rage into your spell, and it will be enough, I promise."

Albus took a breath and said, "I'm ready."

Harry nodded to his son, lifted his wand and pointed it at Scorpius, "Legilimens!"

The room around him dissolved, and instead he could see Scorpius and a dark figure in a room lit by a fireplace. The rasping voice coming from the figure sounded familiar, as Harry listened, "Your parent's died for their insolence, you have nobody left, and soon you will be mine as well. The powers that were, shall be again, and you, boy, will be its harbinger. CRUCIO!" Scorpius body contorted and he writhed in pain. An evil grin spread under the hood that Harry could not see. But he could see that this was the same figure that he and Hermione had seen at Godric's Hollow. The magic here was something he had never witnessed before, as a child he had dreams of Voldemort and he shared them, but he could not understand how this man was accessing Scorpius' dreams. But if this man could, perhaps Harry could reach Scorpius as well.

"Scorpius!" Harry shouted, the figure did not acknowledge that Harry was there, nor did it seem to hear him. Harry watched as the figure pulled his wand back once more and Scorpius' breath returned to normal. Harry shouted again, "Scorpius!" Harry could see Scorpius begin to turn his head towards him, he could hear him. "Scorpius, this is just a dream!" he yelled, "You can break free of it, it's not real!"

"Oh, this is real." The figure with the rasping voice suddenly looked at Harry, "I assure you, Mr. Potter this is just as real as the joke shop you're standing in right now."

Harry realized then that if the figure had managed to pull him into the dream as well, he was now free to interact with all of them. He pointed his wand at the figure and shouted, "STUPEFY!" The figure blocked his spell, just barely and he pointed his wand at Scorpius' whimpering figure. "Try that again, and I will torture him some more, do you want that on your conscience Harry Potter?" Harry lowered his wand.

"Good, now, let me explain something to you. You will not be saving Mister Malfoy today, he has sins to answer for, and when I'm done with him, he will be nothing more than a shell."

"No, he won't. I will not let you." Harry shouted at that exact moment, "STUPEFY!" once more, wandless magic had always been difficult for him, but Hermione had taught him the key trick, and with that he was grateful that Hermione was his friend. The room began to dissolve as the figure, stunned, fell to the ground. Harry blinked and the room was back around him, Albus standing to the side with a look of utter impatience. Harry looked to Scorpius who was stirring and not screaming this time.

"Scorpius, are you alright?" Harry asked.

"I-I think so. I had a terrible dream, you were there though."

"Yes, it wasn't a dream, Scorpius, somehow that man was able to enter your mind from across a distance and-and torture you in your own dreams. I have to be honest with you, I'm not sure how that is possible, but I do assure you, we will figure out who and why this is happening."

"I know why, it's because of my parents. They tried so hard to do the right thing, and they were punished for it." Scorpius looked down, Albus rushed over to him and put a comforting arm around him.

"Albus, walk him back to the school, I need to check in with the aurors, stop by hospital wing and get him some chocolate. "

Albus nodded, "Thank you, dad, for being here."

"Of course, son." Harry smiled, "Scorpius, will you be alright?"

"I think so, thank you, Mister Potter." Scorpius began to stand up."

Harry looked on as Albus and Scorpius left the shop, Elliard, the auror entered with a figure floating behind him, wrapped in cords.

"I found this man, running back down the high street, was able to stun him from behind. Here's his wand." Elliard handed Harry the man's wand.

Harry pointed his own wand at the wand and said, "Priori Incantato." A shadow of a spell then emanated from the tip of the wand. Something Harry had never actually seen, only read about.

"This is how Scorpius Malfoy was put to sleep, but it was more than just sleep, it opened his mind somehow. I will need to get back to the ministry to research this. We will take the prisoner with us and see what we know. Go ahead of me, I will need to go to the castle and explain to Headmistress McGonagall what has happened here.

 _The figure rose from the ground, shaking off his robes. He let loose a roar of disgust as realized that he had been partially thwarted by Harry Potter. No matter though, he thought to himself, I will have Scorpius Malfoy, one way or the other. I will just have to try a bit harder. His pet had fulfilled his end and he would keep his promise to him. However, he was not yet back, and that could mean only one thing, he had been caught. The next step would need to be taken soon, if plans were to be maintained. He would need to get his pet back if he were to succeed. He had only one choice, to enter the Ministry of Magic._


End file.
